Providing quality care for seniors in the Seattle area

FAQ

Q. Who uses homecare services?

A. Our clients are seniors who chose to live at home (age in place) but need assistance with activities of daily living (dressing, bathing, helping with getting in and out of bed, meals, housekeeping, transportation). We assist clients who have Alzheimer’s or dementia- or any other debilitating illness. We help people who are recovering from a major surgery. We work with hospice providing end of life care. Some clients are in a skilled nursing facility (or assisted living) but need extra care and will use our services.

Q. How much do you charge?

A. It all depends on what services you need. Typically, prices range from $26-$28 per hour, depending on your level of need and if Nurse Delegation is required.

Q. I’ve heard other agencies don’t assign caregivers, what does this mean?

A. At Capability Homecare, we are experts in recruiting and staffing and we take great pride in matching caregivers to our clients so that a trusting relationships will be formed.

Some agencies simply send out whatever caregiver is available that day- so the client never knows who will be showing up and a trusting relationship is never formed.

Q. Couldn’t I just hire someone privately? Wouldn’t this be less expensive?

A. Hiring privately is always an option. However, Capability Homecare performs extensive background checks (both national and local), reference checks and interviews- screening out anyone who might take advantage or abuse a senior.

Furthermore, if you hire privately, you would be considered the employer and responsible for paying taxes and insurance. You would also be required to handle all scheduling- and in a crisis or emergency, you might be left without care. At Capability Homecare, if a caregiver has an emergency, or is ill, we are able to replace them and make sure you have the help you need.

Q. What if I only need care 1 day a week?

A. We will provide care for a minimum of 4 hours. Sometimes all you need is someone to come in to your home, clean your house, grocery shop and prepare meals and that’s it. We will cater our scheduling to match your specific wishes. Each person’s care plan is designed for their needs, and all plans are constantly reviewed and revised by our director- who is a Certified Senior Advisor.

A. Our company is based on core values of honesty, trust and hard work. We look for those values as well as experience, empathy, and people who truly love seniors. We look for people who speak English clearly and communicate well. We have extremely high standards and only hire approx 10% of applicants. We take great pride in offering the best caregivers in the industry.

Q. How are caregivers trained?

A. Our caregivers are Certified Nursing Assistants or have their Fundamentals in Caregiving certification. Many have additional certifications in specific areas such as dementia training. We require that they have hands on experience working with seniors.

Q. What sort of background checks do you do?

A. We do the following checks to ensure our clients are safe:

Washington State Patrol search
National Background checks that include State Courts, Dept of Corrections, Sex Offender Registries, Traffic Courts and County Criminal Courts
Motor Vehicle Reports
Washington State Dept. of Health credential verification
Employment verification and reference checks
Social Security number and work authorization verification

Q. Who pays for Homecare?

A. Homecare services are traditionally paid for privately. Because Homecare is considered non-medical is it private pay. Some LTC policies cover it as well. For the most part, homecare is largely uncovered by Medicare.

Q. What sort of supervision/ oversight do you have for caregivers?

A. Communication is essential in building a relationship you can trust! Our caregivers are supervised by a Certified Senior Advisor- who regularly assesses and communicates with both the caregiver and the person receiving care (and/ or their family). Once assigned a new client the caregiver undergoes orientation to learn about their specific needs and the care plan is carefully discussed. In addition, a notebook is placed in every client’s home that includes the care plan as well as a place to leave Care Notes after each shift. These notes are monitored by both the family as well as Capability staff. Furthermore, we have a telephonic system where the caregiver (or family) can leave messages with concerns or questions about the client. These messages are monitored and addressed daily. Our Director of Operations does unplanned home visits to check to make sure things are going smoothly- and to visit with our clients.

A. Essentially, Nurse Delegation is when a RN delegates her skills (trains a caregiver to perform a designated task) to a caregiver (CNA) so that the caregiver can provide the services needed- for a much lower cost. See click here to learn more.

It is a cost effective option because instead of paying an RN’s hourly rate, the client can pay the caregiver rate and receive the same services. It is often used for administering medication, checking insulin levels, giving eye or ear drops, applying ointments, tube feeding, simple wound care or colostomy care as ordered by a physician.

In order to comply with State regulations, anyone needing Nurse Delegation does have to pay for an assessment by the RN before services can begin.

A. Capability Homecare is passionate about working with clients with Alzheimer’s. Both our owner and our Director of Operations have personal experience with Alzheimer’s. Our caregivers are experienced and trained to work with clients who are suffering from Dementia and Alzheimer’s. Our goal is to keep seniors safe and in their homes as long as possible.

Q. What about Live In? What does this mean?

A. Many clients find that hiring a caregiver to actually live in their home is a better option than hourly care. Traditionally, 2 caregivers will work for the client- one will work 3 days on and the other will work 4 days. The client is able to stay home and age in place and someone is in their home at all times- providing care and companionship as needed. If someone is a fall risk, this is often the best way to ensure they are safe.

Q. I’m going on vacation and just want someone to stay with my mom for 1 week, is this possible?

A. Absolutely! That is what we are here for. Just call us in advance to give us time to find the best person to match your mom’s personality and needs.

Call us today at 425 679-5770, or check out our website for more information.